''Bheeshma Parvam'' () is a 2022 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
-language
action thriller film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
produced and directed by
Amal Neerad
Amal Neerad (born on 7 October 1976) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and Film producer, producer who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded ...
, the film stars
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
in lead role alongside an
ensemble supporting cast including
Soubin Shahir
Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor and director who works in Malayalam cinema. He began his film career as an assistant director in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a suppo ...
,
Sreenath Bhasi,
Nadhiya Moidu
Zareena Moidu, known by her stage name Nadhiya, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She made her debut in the Malayalam film ''Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu'' (1984), alongside Mohanlal and Padm ...
,
Shine Tom Chacko
Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema. After working as an assistant to director Kamal for about 9 years, he forayed into acting through the film. '' Gaddama'' ...
,
Farhaan Faasil,
Dileesh Pothan
Dileesh Philip (born 19 February 1980), also known as Dileesh Pothan is an Indian film director, actor and producer, who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2016 comedy drama film '' Maheshinte Prathikaaram'', star ...
,
Jinu Joseph
Jinu Joseph (born 21 December 1975) is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He is better known for his roles in ''Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded'', ''Chaappa Kurishu'', ''Bachelor Party'', ''Ustad Hotel'', ''Iyobinte Pusthakam'', ''Rani Pa ...
,
Anasuya Bharadwaj
Anasuya Bharadwaj (born 15 May 1985) is an Indian television presenter and actress who works in Telugu films and television. She has received two South Indian International Movie Awards, an IIFA Utsavam Award and South filmfare Awards for her ...
,
Harish Uthaman
Harish Uthaman (born 5 April 1982) is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. He made his début portraying the lead role in '' Tha'' (2010), before playing villains in '' Gouravam'', ''Pandiya Naadu'', ''Mea ...
,
Lena
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
,
Shebin Benson
Shebin Benson (born 27 November 1995) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam films.
Shebin made his debut in Aashiq Abu movie '' Idukki Gold'' in 2013, Later he appeared in Mammootty starrer Varsham. His first movie as a male ...
,
Anagha,
Nedumudi Venu
Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...
,
K. P. A. C. Lalitha
Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...
and
Sudev Nair
Sudev Nair is an Indian actor and model working in Malayalam films best known for his performance in the 2014 film '' My Life Partner'', for which he was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2014. He also starred in the 2019 ...
.
The movie is written by Amal Neerad and Devadath Shaji with Ravisankar credited as an additional screenwriter. Manu Jose aka RJ Murukan has penned the additional dialogues.
Amal Neerad
Amal Neerad (born on 7 October 1976) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and Film producer, producer who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded ...
and
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
were planning to film the film ''Bilal'', the sequel to ''
Big B''. Due to
COVID-19 lockdown
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...
, the project was delayed and decided to collaborate for a small-scale movie. The film was theatrically released on 3 March 2022 and received positive reviews from critics The film broke many box office records for a Malayalam film, crossing the ₹50 crore (US$6.6 million) mark on the fifth day of its release. , ''Bheeshma Parvam'' grossed over .
The film is currently
the third-highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time in both worldwide and domestic box office.
Plot
In 1988, upon the death of the Anjootti family's eldest son, Paily, Michael, the third son of the Anjootti family in
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, had taken over the family business and reins since his older brother (second son) Mathai was an idler. In a bid for vengeance, Elsa, whose boyfriend was set on fire by her family, and Pauly, her boyfriend's mother, seek the assistance of Michael on the day of his grandnephew's birthday.
Shivankutty, Michael's right-hand man, beats Elsa's family as per the instruction of Michael. The whole family of Anjootti family came together for Peter's kid's birthday party. Paily's wife, Fathima, who later married Ali and had two sons Ajas and Ami, had to leave the Anjootti family house because of opposition from the rest of the family, but they were dear to Michael and his mother. The horrific past in which Michael killed those who killed - the brothers of the Kocheri Family - his elder brother Paily adds to the family members' fear of Michael. Michael summoned Ami and then offered him a godown for his
cafe business, which was in the hands of Peter and Paul.
Peter and Paul later approach Michael to discuss about the godown issue, but Michael forbids Peter and Paul from
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
for the Anjootti family anymore, as it only causes losses for the family. This increases their hatred towards Michael. James, Molly's brother and an
MP, approaches Michael, asking him for support to gain votes in the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
. Michael refuses as James has done nothing for the people. This makes him enraged and it brings James, Simon - Michael's younger brother and a priest - ,Peter and Paul closer together to end the dominance of Michael in the family. James brings Rajan Madhavan Nair, Kocheri Iravi Pillai's grandson (another big family in Kochi), and a crime boss known as Bada Raja of
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
to Kochi.
Michael murdered Rajan's father and uncle for killing Paily in the past, so Rajan's hatred towards Michael was larger than anything. One day, the Anjootti family finds out about the love affair between Ami and Rachel. It leads to a family discussion, where the decision of Michael to unite them and his interference in his daughter's affairs enrages Martin. So Martin joins hands with James, Peter, Paul, Simon and Rajan to subdue Michael. Rajan's grandfather Iravi Pillai asks him to kill one of Ali's children to weaken Michael. Ami is then killed on the return journey after opening his cafe at the behest of Rajan, Peter and Paul. Ami's friend Rahim informs Ajas that Peter and Paul may have played a role in Ami's death as some people had seen them on that spot. Ajas comes to Anjootti's house and beats Peter and Paul.
Michael intervenes and stops Ajas as there is no explicit evidence and warns Peter and Paul. Susan and her son Abel move out of Martin's house after Ami's death. When Michael visits them, Susan and Shivankutty shared their suspicions about Martin's involvement with the Kocheri family in the death of Paily and Ali. It helped Michael realize that Martin was the most dangerous person in the family. After his return from the flat, a gang of thugs controlled by Rajan brutally attacks Michael in which Shivankutty dies. Michael gets hospitalized and regains consciousness after 3 days. Michael decides to take revenge against the
perpetrators
In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated U ...
in the family. Ajas kills Martin by driving a truck over him on Michael's instruction.
Later, Ajas meets James and gives him a file that contains about his illegal activities. James scoffed saying he would be out in 2 weeks to which Ajas replies that he and Michael will be waiting for him outside. Later, the police arrest James. Ajas then meet Simon's older assault
case victims and tell them to register a case against him, and assures the family that nothing would happen to them. Simon is then arrested and Ajas finds Peter and Paul, where he kills Peter and orders Paul to leave
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
with his family. Rajan is then executed on orders from another goon of Mumbai named Chotta Rajan and Michael, Ajas and Mani visit to confirm his death.
After this, Michael retires and Ajas takes over his position in the Anjootti family.
Cast
Family tree
Dotted lines indicate a love relationship between characters, and dashed lines indicate marriage relationship between characters.
† Indicates a deceased character.
Production
Development
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
and
Amal Neerad
Amal Neerad (born on 7 October 1976) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and Film producer, producer who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded ...
were originally supposed to collaborate for the sequel to ''
Big B''. The film, however, was put on hold due to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
pandemic as several scenes were to be shot abroad. The two subsequently teamed up for ''Bheeshma Parvam''. ''Bheeshma Parvam'' is the reunion of Amal Neerad and Mammootty after 14 years. The film is produced by the director Amal Neerad himself under the banner of
Amal Neerad Productions
Amal Neerad Productions is an Indian film production company based in Kerala, founded by Amal Neerad
Amal Neerad (born on 7 October 1976) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema. He at ...
.
Filming
On 21 February 2021, principal photography began in
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
. The filming of the film has been wrapped up on 21 September 2021.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack album and score was composed by
Sushin Shyam
Sushin Shyam is an Indian music composer who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He is also the keyboardist of the Indian folk metal band The Down Troddence. He started gaining popularity in 2018 with the films ''Varathan'' and ...
. In an interview, Shyam revealed that making process of the soundtrack was a process that kept on evolving throughout the production, explaining: "When I did the teaser of ''Bheeshma Parvam'', I had this idea, which wasn’t connected to the film at all. But after that, we thought of including that too in the film. So, basically it’s a process that keeps evolving, when you create a new tune, you think why not include it too. When I composed the track ''Parudeesa'', it sort of gave me an idea about the music of the entire film.
The soundtrack album, especially the track ''Parudeesa'' received highly positive reviews from critics. Sajin Shrijith of ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' stated that "Sushin Shyam’s instantly immersive music alternates between various genres, from classical to contemporary and, at one point, evokes one of the spaghetti-western scores of Ennio Morricone". The critic ''Veeyen'' wrote, "Sushin Shyam’s arresting musical score leaves an extensive impression, and the upbeat track ''Parudeesa'' stands out from among the lot".
Release
Theatrical
The film was originally scheduled to be released on eve of
Dusshera
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...
(12 October 2021), but was postponed due to shooting works. The film was then scheduled to release on 23 December 2021 but was postponed again. It was scheduled to release on 24 February 2022, but it was again delayed. It finally was released on 3 March 2022.
Home media
The satellite and digital rights of the film were secured by
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
and
Disney+ Hotstar
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
. The film was streamed on Disney+ Hotstar on 1 April 2022, while it was premiered in Asianet on 7 September 2022 coinciding with the actor's birthday and
Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Onam commemorates Vamana ...
.
Reception
Box office
On the first day of its release, ''Bheeshma Parvam'' collected at the domestic box office.
On its seventh day, the film collected from Indian box office and from overseas. On its third week, the film grossed in India and in overseas for a worldwide total of . , ''Bheeshma Parvam'' grossed over worldwide.
Critical response
''Bheeshma Parvam'' was critically acclaimed who praised the cast performances (especially
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
,
Soubin Shahir
Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor and director who works in Malayalam cinema. He began his film career as an assistant director in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a suppo ...
and
Shine Tom Chacko
Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema. After working as an assistant to director Kamal for about 9 years, he forayed into acting through the film. '' Gaddama'' ...
), narrative style, direction, action sequences and technical aspects (soundtrack & musical score, production design, editing and cinematography).
Sajin Shrijith of ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' gave a rating of 4 out on 5 and wrote "Don’t go in if you expect a fight scene every five minutes. We get a fair amount of action, but it’s the character-centric moments in Bheeshma Parvam that tower above all else. And it has so many fascinating characters. None of them looked out of place or unnecessary. Everyone has something to contribute. Some traits are suggested through subtle and clever flourishes, like when Shine Tom Chacko’s character Peter reveals his true feelings for a male actor".
Anna M. M. Vetticad
Anna Mercy Mathews Vetticad, commonly known as Anna M. M. Vetticad, is an Indian film critic and journalist. She has been in the field of journalism since 1994. Vetticad has also hosted her own interview show, ''Star Trek'', on Headlines Today ...
of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, “Bheeshma Parvam resides somewhere on the cusp between the Malayalam New New Wave that has taken India by storm during the pandemic and the conventional commercial cinema that continues to get an audience in Kerala. The film’s fight scenes are stylised, yet not repugnantly bloody and in-your-face. The leading man is lionised, but not to a nauseous extent. Women are given some space, but the action is entirely in the hands of men. It is a polished production, but not distractingly glossy. If I had to pick a category, I’d put Bheeshma Parvam in the not-bad-not-great slot. It’s okay.”
''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rated 3.5 out on 5 and wrote "Right from the beginning, the film is careful enough to set its pace balanced and engaging, even as it organically establishes the characters, along with their backgrounds, place in the family tree and more with ease. Mammootty pleases as the invincible hero through his towering presence, body language, punch dialogues, stunts and more, giving those seeking entertainment enough moments to feel enthralled. Shine Tom Chacko, Sudev Nair and Soubin too are in top form in their respective roles. The treatment of the story has ensured that the women characters in it respectfully portrayed and a special attention to be politically correct, rightly so, is evident and laudAbel. Anend C Chandran’s lens has captured the visuals with gusto and the stunt choreography was also riveting for a movie of the genre".
''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' critic SR Praveen stated "All these characters still do not help paper over the fact that much of the basic story lacks any novelty. The simmering discontent within his home, and a man waiting to take revenge for Michael's actions in the past come together to haunt him; but knowing the pattern of such films, we certainly know how it will turn out. Until the last half an hour, Amal builds the film and Michael's character patiently in an unhurried pace that the audience can't be blamed for expecting it all to burst out like a dam towards the end. But this build-up kind of fizzles out towards the end, in what turns out to be a rather tame and hurried climax.".
Sowmya Rajendran of ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Dhanya Rajendran, Chitra Subramaniam and Vignesh Vellore in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, And ...
'' wrote "The major players get their own ‘mass’ introduction scenes, and how heartwarming it is to see the audience welcome not only Mammootty but also Soubin, Sreenath Bhasi and Shine Tom Chacko with cheers. If we must persist with drawing parallels with the Mahabharata, Even without putting too much thought into comparisons and parallels with the epic or the Hollywood classic, Bheeshma Parvam still works. There are unexpected moments of humour in the film that had me chuckling several times; like the grandmother who’s watching The Terminator and advises Michael to buy a machine gun to finish his ‘work’ as a gangster quickly".
References
External links
*
{{Amal Neerad
2022 films
2022 action thriller films
2020s Malayalam-language films
Indian action thriller films
Films shot in Kochi
Films directed by Amal Neerad
Films scored by Sushin Shyam